La Vie d'Arthur
by MissMoony7575
Summary: Some things change, some stay the same. Following Le Morte d’Arthur, Lancelot returns, Excalibur is resurrected, Mordred reappears. But Arthur and Merlin share something, always have, always will. MerlinxArthur.
1. Chapter 1

This is basically my take on Season 2 before it comes out, with a little more MerlinxArthur than the series gives us ;P. It starts from Merlin's departure in the season finale, Le Morte d'Arthur. Hope you enjoy reading, and please review!

-Lauren

x.x.x

Arthur watched Merlin as he left, quite confused about the conversation that had just taken place. He furrowed his brows, staring at the door that Merlin had just closed. What had just happened?

Merlin had basically come in, asked Arthur how he was and then told Arthur that he was a prat. Arthur had tried to use his power to get Merlin to defer to him, but as usual, it never worked. Merlin had then gone on to say that Arthur was a good warrior, and would make a good king. Useless compliments? Arthur wondered what they were for. Merlin had then gone on like he was about to leave his job, talking about Arthur getting another servant, but then when Arthur asked whether Merlin wanted to leave Merlin said no. Merlin then said he would be glad to serve Arthur until the day he died. So was he leaving his job or not? Arthur assumed not. Merlin then just called Arthur a prat once again, and left without further explanation.

_What?_

The whole thing was quite odd. The visit seemed to have no purpose, and Arthur was left confused. Was there something Merlin was trying to tell him, or was Merlin just being an idiot as per usual?

Arthur couldn't tell, and it both perplexed and worried him. There was something about the way Merlin had talked, the way he said 'until the day I die' and Merlin's shiny eyes, that may or may not have been filled with tears, that made Arthur quite concerned. It was that conversation with Merlin that he repeated over and over in his head, trying to get more information from the words, to find something he had missed. Arthur didn't understand.

He sighed. He wasn't going to get any sleep like this. He made up his mind that it was just Merlin getting overly sentimental about how Arthur had been bitten by the Questing Beast and had almost died. You know, Merlin could never be predicted. Maybe he was scared that Arthur was going to die, and had resolved to tell Arthur exactly what he thought once he recovered.

It sounded like a very Merlin-like thing to do, Arthur thought. Feelings and listening and stuff like that. Arthur shook his head and chuckled lightly. Merlin was one funny boy, but Arthur, secretly, was glad to have him as a manservant. Merlin might argue with Arthur and talk back to him and turn up late for work and be absolutely _hopeless_ at fighting, but there was something about Merlin that Arthur liked.

Arthur chuckled and turned over. He wasn't going to lose sleep over this – Merlin was just being sentimental, in his own, odd, Merlin way. Arthur smiled and closed his eyes, looking forward to the morning, when he could slap Merlin around a little and probe into what that conversation was _really_ about.

x.x.x

Arthur awoke to the singing of birds and the touch of sunlight. Stretching and yawning, he jumped out of bed, unusually eager to wake up. There was something inside him telling him that he had to wake up _now_, as an urgent matter, but Arthur didn't know exactly what it was.

He put it down to wanting to interrogate Merlin. Yes, that would be fun. Arthur grinned and started to put his clothes on – Merlin would be here any minute now. Actually, where _was_ Merlin? Arthur checked the time; Merlin should have been here a while ago.

Arthur had a sinking feeling, a premonition of disaster, but he dismissed it and laughed it off. Merlin was late _again_. The boy had a habit of turning up late, but Arthur didn't have the heart to fire him. Oh well, Merlin would just have to go to the stocks again. In fact, if Merlin was in the stocks, it would be even easier for Arthur to badger him about the true meaning of last night's conversation.

Arthur chuckled, and sat on his bed and waited for Merlin.

It was unusual of Arthur to be anxious, but after five minutes of waiting, he found that his palms were sweating and he was once again remembering last night's conversation. Merlin had sounded so… serious. The way he talked about how Arthur would be a good king, and getting another servant, and those words – 'until the day I _die_'…

No, Arthur didn't let himself worry. He just made a mental note to put Merlin in the stocks for five minutes longer.

A few minutes later, Arthur was still waiting and he couldn't handle it. He was jittery, almost shaking. Where was Merlin? Was this all some sort of _prank_ that Merlin decided to pull? Or was this serious? His intuition told him that things were not all well.

A hunter always trusted his intuition.

Arthur jumped up, and stormed out of the room. He was going to find Merlin, and when he did… boy, was he in trouble then. Arthur thought of all the things he could do to Merlin as punishment. The stocks, for one. A whole day of sword fighting – Merlin _hated_ it because Arthur always beat him. Make Merlin clean out Arthur's wardrobe. Take Merlin hunting – hunting was another pet hate of Merlin's. Maybe he'd chuck him in the dungeons for a night.

How could Merlin _do_ this to Arthur?

Arthur realised that his heart was pounding madly, and he was almost in a state of terror. He tried to distract himself by being angry at Merlin, but really, Arthur was desperately worried for Merlin's safety. Had Merlin rushed off and done something rash? Merlin wasn't the most logical of people, or the most capable, or the most rational, or the most sensible, or the most… Well, Merlin had idiocy, he had bravery, he had loyalty, and he had adorableness, but that was about it.

Arthur doubted that a dirty great monster would refrain from killing Merlin because he made a stupid comment, or rushed in blindly, or smiled that funny smile of his.

If Merlin was in trouble, he _needed_ Arthur.

Arthur knocked furiously on Gaius' door, like he was trying to knock down the door with his fist. There was no answer for a few moments, and then Arthur got desperate. Fear welled up inside him, like a torrent of terror that threatened to overwhelm him completely. He forced himself to stay calm. Gaius was probably already on his rounds, and Merlin was probably sleeping like a log in his room, too deeply asleep to hear Arthur knocking.

'MERLIN!' Arthur shouted, trying to be as loud as possible. A few servants gave him odd looks as they passed by, but Arthur paid no attention to them.

Still no answer. Where was that boy? Arthur lashed out with frustration, and kicked the door down in one shot. His foot stung, but that was the least of his problems. The door fell to the floor with a resounding crash, but Arthur didn't pay one ounce of attention to the mess he had created. Instead he sprinted in, finding no Gaius working in the main room. He opened Merlin's door without knocking, expecting to find Merlin lying on the bed, about to get the biggest earful in his life, but instead Arthur found Merlin's bed empty, and no explanation.

He shouted with frustration, and kicked the door off the hinges by accident. He did one quick round of the chambers to make sure that there was no one around, and found nothing. Arthur felt the anxiety take hold, but he refused to let fear into his system. That would be the death of him.

WHERE WAS MERLIN?

Arthur thought quickly. Who might know where Merlin was?

He ran out of the palace, jostling past peasants as he attempted to rush down the main street of Camelot in search of the blacksmith's house. Rather rudely, he opened the door to Gwen's house without knocking.

'Gwen!' he shouted. Gwen heard the urgency in his voice and rushed over quickly.

'Arthur!' she said, flustered and surprised by his unorthodox greeting.

'Where's Merlin?' Arthur asked quickly.

'I'm not sure, sorry,' Gwen said honestly. 'I was helping Merlin look after his sick mother last night, but I don't know where he is now. His mother's staying with me at the moment – Gaius left last night, and then Merlin left as well – I took her here, she is slightly better now. Do you want to talk with her?'

'Yes,' said Arthur. 'Where is she?'

Gwen showed him to one of the rooms, where a sickly looking woman lay in bed. Merlin's mother was sick? Merlin had not said a _word_ to Arthur about this – he felt slightly bad for making Merlin work while his mother was ill.

'Where's Merlin?' he asked Hunith. Hunith smiled – Merlin had told her all about his master, Arthur, and Hunith knew that this was the prince.

'I don't know,' said Hunith weakly. 'I'm sorry – I wish I could tell you, but after he and Gaius left I don't know where they are.'

'Hope you get well soon,' said Arthur gruffly, as he left. Nobody knew where Merlin was! This was terribly odd.

Arthur knew Merlin – Merlin would _never_ leave his mother while she was ill unless it was something gravely important, even more important than taking care of his mother. Where was he? He hadn't gone off on a mere whim – this was something important, and that was what scared Arthur.

Who did Merlin think he was? Was he trying to go and retrieve some sort of rare cure for his mother's illness? Would that put him in harm's way?

_Merlin!_ Arthur cried silently, at the end of his tether. He could not bear the thought of Merlin, poor incompetent Merlin, out in the wilderness alone with old man Gaius, trying to fight a devilish monster. Why hadn't he asked Arthur to help him? Arthur gladly would have gone along to aid Merlin – hadn't Arthur already showed that he really did care about Merlin's affairs, when he went back to Merlin's hometown with him?

Oh God, it all suddenly came together for Arthur. The ominous conversation about getting a new servant, and 'until the day I die'. The way Merlin had almost been crying throughout the whole thing. Arthur had merely treated him with the same sardonic remarks he always unloaded on his manservant. Oh God, Merlin had been saying goodbye, before he rushed off to do something rash, something expected to _die_ doing. And Arthur had never said a kind word in the entire conversation!

Arthur realised this all at once, was filled with horror, and burst into an extremely rare display of tears. Merlin! Merlin was going to die, and Merlin had said his goodbye – Arthur just hadn't realised it. Oh God, Arthur should have known, he should have _realised_, he should have gone and stopped Merlin, stopped him at all costs and kept him safe…

But now, because of Arthur's incompetence, Merlin had left, and he might never return.

Arthur knew what he had to do. He had to send out a search for Merlin – there was nothing he could hold back on. Not when it came to Merlin. There was too much to risk losing when it came to Merlin – Arthur couldn't bear the idea of Merlin getting hurt, especially not when there was something he _could have done_ about it. Angry at himself, Arthur wiped the tears away furiously and strode down to the Round Table, where he quickly issued the order to search for Merlin. Arthur didn't even bother running the plan by his father – he knew that Uther would refuse, but there was no space for wasting time now. Merlin had to be found, and he had to be found quickly.

The knights were ready in record time, and awaiting Arthur's orders at the palace gates when a servant came running up to him quickly.

Arthur ignored the servant, knowing that he needed to send out the knights _now_. Not a second could be wasted when it came to Merlin's safety. One moment too late might be the difference between life and death.

However, the servant almost accosted him on the spot, and seemed so desperate that Arthur turned around.

'What?' he spat at the servant. The servant trembled, but passed on his message to the hysteric prince at once.

'Merlin and Gaius have returned to the palace – Merlin is in your chambers, waiting for you.'

Arthur stared, unable to believe this. He quickly called off the knights.

'Are you sure about this?' Arthur asked the servant.

'I'm sure about it – King Uther saw them ride in just a few minutes ago, and since you had issued a search of the entire castle for Merlin, the news spread quickly,' the servant said.

Arthur didn't even bother answering the servant, or thanking him for his work.

He immediately sprinted back to the castle, all the way up to his chambers, flung open the door to his chambers and was met with Merlin, standing by the windowsill, wearing that stupid smile of his.

'Arthur,' he said pleasantly. 'I'm sorry I'm late.' Merlin saw the look on Arthur's face and found himself slightly scared by the mix of anger, frustration, confusion, desperation and relief.

'Merlin!' Arthur bellowed, not sure whether he was about to kill Merlin for causing him trauma or hug him out of relief of his return. For a moment he thought the best thing to do was to do nothing – to act cool and pretend like nothing happened, just berate Merlin for his lateness, and get on with life, but Arthur found that there was too much emotion inside him to remain calm.

He had almost lost Merlin too many times – Arthur could not bear to come close to losing him again.

So Arthur, extremely out of character, ran to Merlin, threw his arms around the surprised warlock and hugged him tightly.

Arthur constricted Merlin like an anaconda; Merlin felt rather suffocated but was surprisingly comfortable in Arthur's arms nonetheless. Arthur surprised even himself with the public display of emotion, but he felt so, so relieved as he stood there, holding Merlin like they were two lovers that had finally reunited. No, scratch that, thought Arthur, that caused a really odd image in his mind.

'Arthur?' Merlin asked questioningly. At first, Merlin had thought it would be better not to question why Arthur was hugging him, but as Arthur didn't let go for almost a minute, Merlin started to wonder.

Arthur cleared his throat and broke away from the hug awkwardly.

'Merlin, where the hell have you been?' Arthur demanded, not looking so affectionate as he had been a few moments ago. Merlin regretted opening his mouth – it always seemed to get him into trouble.

'I –' Merlin hadn't thought about a lie to tell Arthur yet. Oops. 'I just slept in.' Merlin slapped himself internally. What a weak excuse!

Arthur laughed, and Merlin wondered whether he might actually get away with that one. If he did, he would count his lucky stars for saving him.

Then Arthur moved to the door, closed it with a 'bang' that made Merlin jump, locked it and tucked the keys back into his pocket. Arthur then turned to Merlin with an intense stare. Merlin gulped – this didn't look good. He tried smiling at Arthur, but Arthur didn't lose any of the intensity in his eyes.

Arthur took slow steps forward towards Merlin – Merlin backed away slowly, until he hit a wall, and then he started panicking. He tried smiling again, but Arthur just stared.

'Merlin, you are not leaving until you tell me _everything_,' said Arthur dangerously.

'But –' Merlin tried to save himself.

'Everything,' said Arthur, giving Merlin a severe look. Arthur took a step closer, and Merlin gulped.

'Arthur, I –' Arthur silenced Merlin by placing a finger on Merlin's lips, and a heavy hand on his shoulder, staring deep into Merlin's eyes and sending shivers down his spine.

'And Merlin, don't you _dare_ try and lie to me,' Arthur warned. He stared questioningly at Merlin, demanding an answer. Merlin nodded nervously. Arthur removed his finger and waited.

Merlin tried to talk slowly to delay his demise. What would Arthur do to him if he lied? He shuddered at the thought of the stocks.

'Okay,' said Merlin. 'Well, you know how Gaius said that one bite from the Questing Beast would kill you?'

'Well, obviously it didn't,' said Arthur impatiently.

'Actually, it did,' said Merlin seriously, waiting for Arthur's reaction.

'What?' said Arthur, confused. 'Merlin, are you mad? I'm standing right in front of you, in case you haven't noticed.' Arthur flicked Merlin on the head. Merlin rubbed his head, hurt.

'I know,' said Merlin. 'But the thing is…'

'What, Merlin?' Merlin paused. Arthur's presence was intimidating, and he was standing very close to Merlin and looking at him with _that stare_. The stare that says – go on, if you _dare_.

'You _were_ going to die,' Merlin said, continuing. 'But…'

'But what, Merlin?' Arthur pressed.

Merlin paused. He didn't know whether to tell Arthur the truth or not. For one thing, Arthur had demanded it of Merlin, and Merlin wasn't very good at lying on the spot. Arthur would surely know if Merlin was lying… but what if he didn't lie, just concealed the magical part of the truth? Would Arthur guess? Merlin had to take his chances; it was better than Arthur finding out his secret.

Not that he didn't trust his friend… Merlin just knew now wasn't the right time for Arthur to find out.

'There was one thing that was going to save you,' Merlin said slowly, stalling for time.

'Gaius' potion,' Arthur finished.

'Yes,' said Merlin.

'That doesn't explain your absence all morning!' Arthur shouted at Merlin, causing him to flinch.

'I slept –'

'Don't try that on me, Merlin,' said Arthur dangerously. Okay, so it was pretty stupid to use the same lie twice.

'Okay. Well, in the potion… There was a special ingredient in it.'

'Special ingredient?' said Arthur, raising an eyebrow.

'Yes, a special ingredient,' Merlin said. 'I had to travel to go and get it… it heals everything that might otherwise kill a man,' said Merlin. It wasn't far from the truth.

'What was this special ingredient?' Arthur asked.

'A flower,' lied Merlin quickly. 'From the Isle of the Blessed.'

'The Isle of the Blessed?' Arthur asked.

'Yes,' said Merlin. 'Anyway, you got better.'

'Evidently,' said Arthur. 'But why weren't you here this morning?'

'My mother has been sick,' said Merlin. 'I needed to go back to the Isle of the Blessed to get a flower for her.'

Arthur paused; Merlin awaited his jurisdiction. Would Arthur believe him? Merlin waited in anticipation, smiling at Arthur, trying to win him over.

Arthur, finally, sighed.

'Merlin, wouldn't it have made more sense to come back with two of these flowers on your first journey?' Arthur asked.

Merlin laughed with relief. Arthur believed him.

'Yeah, it probably would've,' said Merlin sheepishly. Arthur chuckled and walked away, unlocking the door.

'Don't ever scare me like that again, Merlin,' said Arthur.

'Yes, sire,' said Merlin.

'Next time you plan to go away, warn me first, will you?' Arthur said.

'Okay,' said Merlin.

'Is your mother better?' Arthur inquired.

'Yes, thank you,' said Merlin. The two of them paused, and silence filled the room for a few moments.

'And what was that whole business about calling me a prat last night?' Arthur inquired. Merlin stopped in his tracks, thrown off-guard by the question. He'd thought the questions had ended.

'I –' Merlin cursed his bad lying skills. 'I, just thought I'd come for a chat before I left. You were being a prat, so I called you one.'

Arthur looked at Merlin quizzically. He knew he wasn't getting the full truth – had anyone _ever_ told Merlin that he was a terrible liar? Because someone really needed to tell him before he got into big trouble. However, Arthur decided to drop it. He'd interrogated Merlin enough for the time being. Now, for the punishment.

'Merlin, I think it's time for some sword practice,' said Arthur, his eyes shining with glee. Revenge was _sweet_. Arthur sadistically watched Merlin's face turn to absolute horror.

'But – your arm is still injured.' Merlin floundered for excuses. Arthur grinned. He rolled his arm around, looking relaxed.

'Nah, I think it's fine,' Arthur said.

'B-B-But –' Merlin stuttered.

'Come on Merlin,' said Arthur, throwing his arm around Merlin's shoulders and steering him towards the door. Merlin was powerless to stop Arthur – Arthur was far too strong for Merlin's meagre strength.

Merlin shook his head – he always seemed to end up with the bad end of the deal.


	2. Chapter 2

Okay, so this is a little bit of a filler chapter, but fun nonetheless :). Please review, and enjoy!

-Lauren

x.x.x

It was almost sunset, and Arthur had not let Merlin have a single break. They had been fighting for hours, and Merlin was exhausted. Arthur, on the other hand, looked energetic and without even a hint of fatigue in him, as he stood over Merlin, laughing. His sword was dangerously close to Merlin's neck, as Merlin lay spread eagled on the ground. Arthur had won every single round. _There must be _some_ kind of rule limiting how many times you can win,_ Merlin thought bitterly.

'Get up,' Arthur ordered, removing his sword.

Merlin sighed, and reluctantly pulled himself up from the ground. He glared at Arthur's back; _Arthur_ was the one who had brought this torture upon him. Sure, he was late, but that was because he was trying to save his mother's life!

'Can we do something else?' Merlin whined. Usually he didn't whine, but Merlin was really sick of fighting. Arthur turned around and gave his servant a reprimanding look.

'Since when do you talk to me like that, Merlin?' Arthur said authoritatively.

'Sorry,' said Merlin, frowning.

'If you really want to, we can do something different,' said Arthur.

'Can we, _please_,' said Merlin.

'Alright,' said Arthur. 'I think I know what we can do.' Merlin saw something in Arthur's eyes that worried him. Arthur looked far too pleased about doing something else. Merlin felt that he didn't know what he was getting into.

'What?' asked Merlin, rather scared.

Without warning, Arthur dashed at Merlin – Merlin was completely not ready and simply threw his arms in the air, like a girl. Arthur grabbed hold of Merlin's wrists, twisted them round, and brought Merlin to his knees with his arms behind his back. Merlin groaned in pain – how on _earth_ did Arthur get so quick?

Arthur leaned in close to Merlin's head from behind; Merlin could feel Arthur's warm breath on his neck.

'Unarmed combat,' said Arthur evilly. Revenge was _sweet_.

x.x.x

Not surprisingly, Arthur won every single one of the wrestles. Merlin found himself quite sore and bruised at the end of the whole thing. He sighed, really was getting him back. The sunlight had faded and the world was slipping into night.

Arthur tackled Merlin; Merlin felt the wind being knocked out of him, and he landed on the ground. The impact jolted Merlin's bones, and he felt a new bruise forming. This was _worse_ than sword fighting. Arthur landed on top of Merlin, and Merlin could feel the weight of his rather bulky friend on top of him, worsening his injuries.

'Ouch,' said Merlin, wincing. 'Must you do that?' he asked petulantly.

'Wrestling is a man's sport,' Arthur said. 'Men fight like men, and show no mercy,' said Arthur.

'It's not like I'm your enemy!' said Merlin. 'I'm your manservant!'

'You're still a man,' said Arthur, pushing Merlin roughly back to the ground as Merlin attempted to sit up. Merlin groaned in pain.

'Right now I'd rather be a girl,' complained Merlin. Arthur just laughed.

'If you were a girl, Merlin,' he said amusedly, 'you'd be in quite a compromising position. Although if you'd prefer to be a girl… that can be arranged too.' Arthur laughed; Merlin just sighed.

'Can you get off me?' Merlin asked, trying to sound polite. Up to some point, the proximity to Arthur was quite comfortable, but when Merlin was getting squashed in some very sore places, it wasn't all too enjoyable.

'Oh, come on Merlin,' said Arthur tauntingly. 'Aren't you going to fight back?'

'Not really,' said Merlin tiredly.

'Why not?' asked Arthur.

'Well, you're going to beat me anyway,' Merlin said. Well, actually that wasn't _quite_ true. Merlin could own Arthur's ass if only he was allowed to use magic – it was that one thought that kept his dignity in one piece.

'Go on,' teased Arthur. 'Just try it. I promise I won't hurt you.' There was something in Arthur's eyes that suggested the exact opposite, but Merlin tried anyway.

With a grunt and one final burst of strength, Merlin rolled Arthur over. Merlin was now on top of Arthur, rather pleased with himself and surprised at his own strength – he hadn't guessed that he would be able to move Arthur at all. He grinned at Arthur.

Arthur grinned back, and Merlin felt slightly scared. He knew that he was in for it now – he couldn't beat Arthur and get away with it.

Violently, and before Merlin could react, Arthur rolled over and pushed Merlin against the ground, hard. Merlin felt his bruises complain, and he groaned in agony. Arthur was on top once again, smiling victoriously.

'Good try, Merlin,' said Arthur pleasantly, 'but I'm always going to be on top.'

Merlin tried to push Arthur over, but felt himself being held down by an iron strong grip. Damn! Arthur had let him win before, just so he could crush Merlin even more now. Merlin cursed.

'What was that?' Arthur said. 'You want to do another round?' Arthur's eyes twinkled. _This is _cruel_,_ Merlin thought.

'Nothing,' Merlin murmured.

'Get up, Merlin,' Arthur ordered, as he stood up, still looking as pristine as he had at the beginning of their training session. Not even a bead of sweat. Merlin cursed, silently, so that Arthur wouldn't hear.

He got up, groaning like an old man.

The next second, he was on the floor yet again.

x.x.x

Merlin was nursing injuries for weeks afterwards, and found it hard to be polite to Arthur for a while. Of course, this didn't detract from their usual camaraderie – Arthur still took delight in teasing Merlin, and Merlin found that he could come up with his comebacks even quicker than usual, spurred on by the memory of that training session.

After all the drama that surrounded Arthur's near-death, Camelot seemed to be settling down. Merlin and Arthur fell back into regular rhythms of life, and all seemed to be well. Or at least, relatively well.

Merlin sighed. Even when nobody was in mortal danger, life seemed to deal him the worst cards in the deck.

Destiny was one thing; luck was another.

This time, he had to accompany Arthur to a banquet for some lord that was visiting. The feast was pleasant enough, Merlin didn't have to talk to Arthur, just make sure that his cup was filled. He chatted with Gwen in the shadows for most of the feast, and that was quite fun.

However, when the feast ended, that was when the trouble started. Most of the guests had left, but Arthur was still there. Merlin wondered what was going on, so he stepped forward and examined Arthur. Merlin sighed.

Arthur was drunk. He was talking loudly to Morgana, who looked rather embarrassed to be seen with the prince behaving in such a way. Luckily, most of the guests had gone, and nobody was around to see Arthur make a fool of himself except Merlin, Gwen and Morgana.

Merlin sighed. Why did life always turn out like this for him? He had to take Arthur back to his room, _in this state_.

'Good luck, Merlin,' said Gwen, smiling sympathetically as she left with Morgana.

'Thanks,' said Merlin, looking at his master with disdain. Why did Arthur do this to him? 'Okay,' he said to himself as the two girls left. He took a deep breath and braced himself for the task ahead.

'Merlin!' exclaimed Arthur, spotting his manservant, although his eyes weren't quite focused. He rushed over to Merlin and Merlin tried to jump out of the way, but Arthur was quicker than Merlin even though he was drunk. He wrapped a strong arm around Merlin's shoulders and smiled at Merlin.

'Okay, let's go back up to your room,' said Merlin, as if speaking to a toddler. Arthur's attention had already been stolen away by the chandelier hanging from the ceiling, however, and he paid no attention to Merlin.

'Lights,' said Arthur dazedly, staring up at the chandelier.

'That's nice,' said Merlin. 'Now let's go.' He tried to move, but Arthur had a strong hold on him and Merlin was too weak. He groaned. Would he have to drag Arthur all the way back to his chambers? That would be absolutely impossible!

'Soooo, Merlin,' Arthur slurred, 'you and Gweeen.'

'Let's ignore that for the moment,' said Merlin, 'and get you back to your room.'

Arthur grunted unintelligibly.

Merlin had to drag Arthur along, supporting Arthur's weight as he slumped onto Merlin. By the time they were at the other end of the dining hall, Merlin was panting. _I have to do this all the way up to his chambers?_ Merlin thought tiredly. _There _must_ be another way._

Merlin wracked his brain for ideas. There was no way he'd make it up to Arthur's chambers at this rate.

Then he thought of an idea. It was stupid, possibly dangerous, but anything was better than dragging Arthur all the way up to the rooms.

Merlin extricated himself from Arthur's grip. It was quite a struggle to pull himself free, but eventually Arthur released him and Merlin sighed.

'Arthur!' he said, trying to get the prince's attention.

'Meeerlin,' said Arthur, smiling stupidly.

'Let's play a game,' said Merlin childishly.

'A game?' Arthur asked.

'A game,' Merlin confirmed for the drunk prince. 'I'm going to run, and you have to catch me,' Merlin said. 'Do you understand?'

'Run and catch,' said Arthur, nodding.

'Okay, are you ready?' Merlin said. Arthur nodded. 'Go!'

Merlin sprinted off, knowing he would have to sprint the whole way if he was going to keep ahead of Arthur. He looked over his shoulder – Arthur had been a little slow on the uptake, and luckily, because Arthur was drunk, his balance wasn't so great. So long as Arthur didn't fall over, this might actually work.

Merlin kept running, and wished he was fitter as he started to pant and his chest constricted. _Still 4 flights of stairs to go,_ he thought glumly. He kept running – he needed to keep it up, Arthur was gaining ground.

Merlin almost tripped up the stairs, but managed to catch himself just in time, but Arthur was now getting closer. If Arthur caught him, Merlin would have to drag him the rest of the way back to Arthur's chambers. Merlin needed to get as close as possible to Arthur's room, or else it just meant more trouble for him.

_Come on,_ said Merlin, giving a pep talk to himself. _You have to keep going._

He used an extra burst of energy to dart ahead. Finally, he was on the fifth floor, and there were no more stairs. Arthur's room was just down this corridor. Arthur was right behind Merlin now – Merlin stared in disbelief. Arthur had almost caught up to him! A drunk Arthur could almost catch a perfectly sober Merlin. That was pretty embarrassing, Merlin realised. He sprinted down the corridor, using the last reserves of his strength to keep ahead. Finally, he reached Arthur's room, and threw open the door frantically.

He turned around to find right behind him, Arthur charging at him like a mad bull, fire in his eyes. Merlin gulped; he tried to move out of the way but Arthur was too quick. He grabbed Merlin by the waist and threw him over his broad shoulders. Merlin was powerless to stop Arthur, and though he pounded on Arthur's back and shouted for Arthur to let him go, Arthur paid no attention to him.

'Arthur, what are you doing?' Merlin asked, panicking. He was hanging precariously over Arthur's shoulder and felt like he could fall at any moment. 'Arthur!' Why did Arthur have to drink so much?

Arthur walked over to the bed, threw Merlin down, and then jumped on top of him. Merlin was once again being crushed by Arthur. He tried to push Arthur off him, but failed. Arthur was too heavy, and too strong. Merlin pushed Arthur, but Arthur grabbed hold of him and held him down. Arthur's eyes were drooping, and Merlin suddenly felt a wave of tiredness wash over him. He was still panting from the run, and couldn't find the strength to fight Arthur.

And then, Arthur fell asleep and started snoring, with Merlin trapped underneath him.

Merlin groaned – what had he gotten himself into? He couldn't move Arthur – even though he was asleep, Arthur had grabbed hold of Merlin's wrists and held him down. Gee, didn't this guy lose strength when he was sleeping? Was Arthur really that strong? Merlin was too tired to fight back, and he would lose, anyway. What could he do? He was basically trapped.

Another wave of fatigue washed over Merlin and he sighed. He guessed he would just have to spend the night here, and explain the whole thing to Gaius in the morning. Merlin was annoyed, and was sure he would wake up with bruises from this experience. He sighed.

_Damn you, Arthur, _he thought angrily. And then, _I've got to start training._

x.x.x

Merlin woke up completely sore, as he expected.

Arthur was still asleep; Merlin cursed his luck. He tried to crane his neck around to look out the window and find out what the time was. With great effort and almost twisting his back completely around, he turned to the window and found that the sun was quite high in the sky. Gaius would be searching for Merlin, and Merlin would certainly get a scolding.

Merlin cursed Arthur. Why couldn't he just wake up already? Arthur was the one that had gotten Merlin into this mess.

'Arthur!' shouted Merlin, at the top of his lungs. No reply. 'ARTHUR!' Louder now. Merlin hoped he wouldn't wake Uther, because this would take a _lot_ of explaining.

Arthur stirred, and then opened his eyes. He held his head and groaned in pain.

'What?' Arthur asked sleepily, disoriented.

'Arthur, get off me,' Merlin said irritably.

Arthur jumped up, not expecting anyone else to be around. He looked confused as he gazed at Merlin.

'What happened?' Arthur asked, his brows furrowing deeply. 'Why are you – what –'

'You trapped me there last night, when you got _drunk_,' said Merlin, annoyed.

'_That's_ why I have a headache,' said Arthur, as if he had an epiphany.

'Yes, that's why,' said Merlin crossly. 'Now, if you don't mind, I have to go and explain to Gaius why I didn't return last night.' Merlin scowled at Arthur, who was seemingly unaware of the glowering hate that exuded from his manservant. Merlin made a quick escape, just in case Arthur had any more alcohol in him, fleeing from the room and sighing.

Gaius would _not_ be happy, not at all.


	3. Chapter 3

Hey guys! Thank you so much for all the reviews! Here's the next chapter, have fun, things get a bit complicated between Merlin and Arthur... ;P.

-Lauren

x.x.x

'Merlin, it's a fete,' said Arthur, hands on hips, looking huffy as he tried to argue with his manservant.

'So what?' said Merlin rebelliously. 'It doesn't mean I have to do _that_! Surely I can do something else for the fete…'

'Sorry Merlin,' said Arthur, concealing a grin. 'The straws have been drawn, and you will be running that stall, whether you like it or not. Prince's orders.' Arthur stared Merlin down, exercising his authority and intimidation.

Merlin sighed.

The next day he was at the fete, standing in his stall with a glum look on his face. Every year, Camelot had an annual fete – a day of fun and games, excitement and entertainment for every single citizen of Camelot. Most peasants looked forward to the day extremely – the day of the fete was a national holiday and usually very enjoyable for everyone.

Everyone except Merlin, that is.

The Royal Palace organised the fete, so almost all the members of court were involved in the planning of the fete. There were all kinds of activities – horse riding, dart throwing, archery, jousting, ball games, as well as fruit stalls, cheese stalls, cake stalls, jewellery stalls, clothes stalls – they sold everything you could think of.

It was tradition that Arthur ran the sword fighting contest – each and every year, he would gather challengers, who would face him in 1 on 1 combat. Of course, Arthur won each and every year. Morgana ran a fortune-telling stall (quite ironic, this was). This year, the servants were involved too, to make the fete an even bigger event. Gwen was helping down at the clothes stall.

Merlin, however, got stuck as the sole worker at the _kissing booth_.

THE KISSING BOOTH!

It was Arthur's sick idea of a joke – he had put Merlin's name down for the kissing booth without Merlin's permission, and when Merlin had landed the spot, Arthur didn't let him quit. It was all Arthur's fault, like most of the bad things in Merlin's life.

So Merlin found himself sitting glumly at the stall before the fete, glaring at Arthur as he tried to instruct Merlin. It was a beautiful sunny day, and the anticipation of excitement was almost palpable, but Merlin was feeling absolutely _miserable_.

'You're evil,' said Merlin angrily, to Arthur.

Arthur grinned.

'That's no way to talk to a prince, Merlin,' Arthur reprimanded.

'This is totally unfair,' Merlin complained.

'You must accept the challenges given to you, Merlin,' Arthur said, pretending to be philosophical. Merlin scowled at Arthur.

'I can't believe you did this to me,' Merlin said, shaking his head.

'Merlin, it is an _honour_ to be involved in Camelot's annual fete. I cannot believe you are complaining about me giving you the opportunity to run a stall,' Arthur said piously.

'I hate you,' Merlin mumbled.

'What did you say, Merlin?' Arthur asked.

'Nothing,' said Merlin.

'It'd better be nothing,' said Arthur. 'Anyway, you know what you have to do, right?'

'Yes,' said Merlin grudgingly.

'Make the kisses good!' Arthur said, his eyes gleaming with glee. Merlin sighed. 'Oh, and, when they leave, make sure you wink at them.'

'Wink at them?' said Merlin, shocked. 'When did I ever have to _wink_ at them?! Isn't kissing bad enough?' Arthur grinned.

'Oh come on, Merlin, it'll be fun,' said Arthur.

'No it won't,' Merlin replied. 'I can't wink.'

'Of course you can wink,' Arthur said. 'Who can't wink?'

'Me,' said Merlin, frowning.

'Wink at me,' Arthur ordered.

'Wink – wink at you?' questioned Merlin, looking confused. 'Why?'

'So I can see how you wink!' said Arthur impatiently. 'Just do it,' Arthur commanded.

Merlin raised an eyebrow, and simply blinked with one eye.

'You've got to be kidding,' said Arthur.

'I told you I can't wink,' Merlin said.

'Put some _life_ into it, Merlin. You're winking at a _girl_, for heaven's sakes! Pretend it's Gwen,' Arthur teased.

'Wh-What are you trying to say?' Merlin stuttered, not as quick on the uptake as Arthur.

'Merlin, come on. Smile at me a little bit; look a bit flirty for once in your life,' Arthur urged.

'But –'

'Just do it, Merlin.'

Merlin sighed – Arthur stared at him.

'Oh alright then,' said Merlin. He tried to smile, and Arthur noted that though Merlin wasn't very attractive in the traditional dominant male way, he was quite cute, especially when he smiled. It was that awkward unsureness that made him quite adorable. What Merlin lacked in smoulder, he could make up with cuteness, Arthur supposed. Merlin then tried to accentuate the wink a little more, but looked more like he was having trouble with an eye infection.

'Not quite, Merlin,' Arthur said. 'The smile was okay, just don't make it look like there's something in your eye! You're winking for a reason, remember. This girl is very pretty.'

'You're not exactly a great replacement for a pretty girl,' Merlin said to Arthur. Arthur just laughed.

'Here, let me show you,' said Arthur. Arthur was truly a ladies' man, and he knew it. He knew that he could drive any lady up the wall with desire, and he utilised it, but never really got close to anyone. There had never been anything more than extreme amounts of flirting between Arthur and women – except when it had got out of hand, with Sophia, but that was a different story altogether. Arthur seemed to always pull out at the pivotal moment and leave the poor girl hanging.

Still, he was very good at the game of love, and especially winking. So he put on his best smouldering face, basically exuding heat with that serious yet almost smiling look. He knew the look was perfect – he had spent many an hour in front of the mirror perfecting it, but Arthur knew it paid off. And then, fixing his eyes completely on Merlin, with a simple yet obvious and perfectly smooth action, Arthur winked.

Merlin just _died_. He was amazed by the sheer power of Arthur's wink. It was almost like _art_. Merlin couldn't look away, he was transfixed. He felt himself blush, much to his embarrassment, and he had to try and hide it from Arthur. It was the intensity of Arthur's stare, the fact that he was looking straight at Merlin, and the fact that Merlin knew but had never really paid that much attention to – Arthur was _really_ attractive. Merlin felt himself sweating, and when he looked back up, Arthur was still staring at Merlin. Merlin fidgeted slightly in his seat, uneasy and yet somehow enjoying this.

'That's how you have to wink, Merlin,' said Arthur finally. The tension in the air broke and Merlin relaxed – Arthur broke his gaze and he wasn't under any pressure any more. 'Anyway, I have to go to the sword fighting arena, I've got my own things to look after,' said Arthur, standing up. 'Good luck with the kissing booth,' said Arthur, the mischief returning to his eyes.

Then he winked at Merlin again; that magical wink.

Merlin felt things that he considered fairly odd, and he watched Arthur as he walked away. Merlin was quite confused, but he brushed it off. He sat at the stall, chin resting in his hands, finding that he wasn't looking forward to kissing girls but just hoping that he could see that wink again.

x.x.x

Halfway through the day, Arthur came striding along, Merlin quite relieved to see him. Merlin had been kissing girls all day, and though a few of them had been stunners, and Merlin had enjoyed quite a few of the kisses, the bad far outweighed the good. Was Arthur going to give him a break?

Merlin turned back to the long line of girls facing him, and found himself smiling. The girl that stood demurely at the front of the line was very pretty, with golden hair and great features. She was smiling at Merlin, and Merlin felt himself perk up immediately. Maybe the kissing booth wasn't that bad…

'Here, 2 coins,' she said, handing over the silver coins. Merlin held out his hand to take the coins, and for a brief moment her hand brushed over his. Merlin smiled.

'Well…' he said awkwardly. The girl leaned in, closed her eyes, and then Merlin went for it. He held the side of her face, pressed his lips against hers and kissed her passionately. It was enjoyable, and Merlin thought that a few more girls like this could possibly tip the scales to the other side.

When he let go, finally, he was quite breathless and his eyes were sparkling.

The girl smiled at him, and Merlin felt his heart skip.

'So…' she said. She looked like she wanted to start a conversation. Merlin couldn't believe his good luck!

Just when he was about to start chatting, someone elbowed Merlin and sent him sprawling sideways. Merlin found the culprit – Arthur.

'Well, go on then, you've had your turn,' said Arthur gruffly to the girl. She looked disappointed.

'Bye then,' she said, sadly, to Merlin, walking away with a small smile and a pretty little wave. Merlin was dazed – he waved back, and watched her leave. Her walk was so beautiful…

'Ouch!' said Merlin, feeling pain at the side of his head. Arthur had just whacked him with his palm. 'What was that for?' Merlin asked.

'This is the _kissing_ booth, not the _making out_ booth!' Arthur said, a trace of anger in his voice. 'It's a quick peck on the lips, and then goodbye! And you certainly don't start to flirt with them!'

Merlin was surprised by Arthur's behaviour – hadn't it been Arthur telling him to wink at the girls in the first place?

'Well, I might as well make the most of it,' said Merlin.

'Stop doing it,' demanded Arthur.

'Why?' Merlin asked.

'It's – it's – it's…' Arthur was floundering. 'Just don't do it,' he ordered.

'Aren't you meant to be at the sword fighting competition?' Merlin asked. He looked at the next girl in the line, who was an attractive brunette with long, curly eyelashes and rosy lips.

'I'm having a break,' snapped Arthur. 'I'll take over the stall for a moment.'

'Why?' said Merlin. 'I'm handling it fine,' he said. The brunette batted her eyes at Merlin, and he smiled awkwardly.

'Merlin, I'm taking over,' said Arthur tetchily.

'Okay, okay,' said Merlin. 'You take over.'

The news that Prince Arthur Pendragon was taking over the kissing booth spread through the line like wildfire, and soon chaos erupted. All the girls rushed forward, all wanting a piece of the crown prince.

'You're popular,' Merlin commented. Arthur just looked around, and started kissing girls at random.

Merlin found himself getting annoyed. Arthur had told Merlin off for making out, but Arthur was pashing these girls too – it wasn't a "quick peck" like Arthur had recommended. Arthur was such a hypocrite! But it wasn't just that – every kiss that Arthur gave, Merlin found himself getting angry at. He couldn't work out why. By the end of it, Merlin's fists were clenched so tightly that he felt bruises forming.

'I'm handling it fine,' said Merlin, pushing Arthur over. 'Go back to sword fighting.'

The girl that Arthur had been kissing looked hurt as she walked off.

'I don't mind staying here,' said Arthur, winking at the next girl in line, who promptly went into a state of hysteria.

'I'm doing fine,' Merlin growled. 'Go away.'

'Fine, have it your way,' said Arthur, standing up and grinning, seemingly unaware of Merlin's irritation. 'And good luck with the winking.'

Merlin felt his anger at Arthur almost explode, but he kept it in check.

As Arthur walked away, while trying to fend off girls who had run from the kissing stall to follow the prince, he turned back to Merlin, and winked.

And Merlin just _died_.

x.x.x

Merlin woke up bright and early, yawning and pulling himself out of bed. Another sunrise, another day at work with Arthur. He sighed. Merlin would love a day off, but there was no such thing as rest where the prince was involved.

He got changed, ate breakfast, and headed off to Arthur's chambers to wake the lazy prince up and start the day's work. Merlin wondered what would be in store for him today…

Merlin was thinking of ways to get Arthur back for the kissing booth incident as he climbed the stairs. An insect in Arthur's food? A rat underneath his bedcovers? Something involving a love letter to Gwen or Morgana? Merlin's eyes sparkled with the ideas, but he knew that he was too much of a chicken to actually carry any of them out.

Merlin felt a jolt of pain, and, shaking himself out of his thoughts, realised that he had just collided head-to-head with someone. He rubbed his head and bit his lips to try and control the pain. He looked down, to find a pretty girl lying on the floor, rubbing her head. Oh God, Merlin had run into her and knocked her over.

'I'm so sorry,' Merlin said, apologising profusely. 'Here,' he held out his hand and helped her up. 'I'm so, so sorry,' he repeated.

'That's alright,' said the girl, tiredly. 'Neither of us were looking where we were going – it was no one's fault.'

The girl smiled at him, and suddenly Merlin realised he knew this girl – it was the girl he had kissed at the kissing booth right before Arthur had come and taken over. His heart went into overdrive, pumping blood furiously as he looked into those pretty blue eyes.

'Oh, you're – you're that guy, aren't you?' she said, her face lighting up.

'The kissing booth,' said Merlin, laughing.

'Yes, you're that guy!' said the girl excitedly. Then she blushed and averted her eyes, embarrassed by her outburst.

'I –' Merlin wasn't sure what to say. 'I'm Merlin,' he said.

'Catherine,' said the girl sweetly. Merlin nodded, smiling at her.

'That's a pretty name,' he said.

Catherine blushed again. They smiled at each other and found that they were slightly lost in each other's eyes. Merlin was celebrating inside – he had found that pretty girl again, she was talking to him and she was really, really sweet!

'Thank you,' she said nervously. 'So, Merlin…' 'What do you do in the castle?' she asked.

'I'm Prince Arthur's manservant,' said Merlin, not sure whether that was something to be proud of or not. Prince Arthur was important, but Merlin would rather be a member of nobility than a manservant.

'Oh, wow!' said Catherine breathlessly. 'Prince Arthur's manservant!' She was obviously impressed, so Merlin puffed up his chest a little. 'Is it fun?' she asked.

'Oh, sometimes,' said Merlin. 'Other times, the prince is a little –'

'A little _what_, Merlin?' a voice interrupted. Merlin spun around and found Arthur intruding on their conversation. Arthur threw his arm around Merlin's shoulders in a companionable manner, forcing himself into the conversation. Catherine looked rather confused, but flustered to be met with the prince.

'Prince Arthur!' Catherine said, curtseying deeply.

'What has my manservant been saying about me?' said Arthur, flashing a smile at Catherine, who seemed to be melting on the spot.

'Just how wonderful you are as a master,' said Merlin grudgingly.

'I should hope so,' said Arthur. 'Being wonderful myself, I should expect to have a wonderful manservant. A wonderful manservant that _doesn't_ turn up late because he is wasting his time talking to pretty girls,' said Arthur accusingly.

'I'll – I'll see you later,' said Catherine, scurrying off, not wanting to get involved in the conflict between prince and manservant.

'I –' Merlin tried to explain.

'Merlin, you are late!' Arthur said, removing his arm and glaring at Merlin.

'Sorry,' said Merlin, hanging his head.

'And because you were talking to some pretty girl! That is demonstrating an absolute lack of discipline and duty, Merlin!' Arthur reprimanded.

'Sorry,' said Merlin.

'I hope this tardiness doesn't become a habit, Merlin,' said Arthur.

'It won't,' Merlin promised.

'Well, just to be sure… the stocks, I think,' said Arthur, evilly.

Merlin sighed.

x.x.x

Merlin was sick of the smell of rotten tomatoes. He had been in the stocks for a long time, and was wondering when Arthur would come along and release him. Merlin was getting a sore back, and the juice of fruits was drying on his face in a disgusting fashion. He was entirely sick of this.

So were the civilians, it seemed, as they got bored, no longer entertained. They walked away and Merlin was left alone.

Alone, that is, until he spotted a head of blonde hair bobbing around. It was Catherine! She was walking by, and as she took a look at the stocks, her eyes widened and she came running over.

'Merlin!' she exclaimed. Merlin sighed. It was typical of his luck that Catherine would see Merlin in such an unflattering predicament. 'What happened?' she asked, getting closer and bending down to Merlin's level. Her face was so close…

'Arthur put me in the stocks for being late,' said Merlin, sighing.

'Oh no!' she said. 'I'm so sorry – it was my fault –'

'It wasn't your fault,' said Merlin, chuckling. 'I just have to make sure that I'm not late again…' Catherine nodded.

'Prince Arthur seems like a tough taskmaster,' said Catherine.

'He is!' Merlin said, finally finding someone who might feel sympathy for his plight. Gwen, Morgana, Gaius – they all loved Arthur. Merlin couldn't complain about Arthur to them without being reprimanded. Catherine, however, seemed eager to listen. 'The other day, he made me train with him the entire day! I was so tired by the end of it,' Merlin said.

'Wow,' said Catherine. 'Isn't Prince Arthur the captain of the royal guard? Isn't he a really good warrior?'

'He is,' said Merlin. 'That's why fighting with him is so tiring!'

'Oh, you poor thing,' said Catherine sympathetically. Merlin laughed.

'Anyway,' he said. 'Tell me about yourself.'

'Me?' Catherine asked. 'Oh, I live with my parents down in the main street. We run the fruit shop, and deliver to the royal palace every day.'

'Wow,' said Merlin. 'I might be able to see you around in the royal palace.'

'Yeah,' said Catherine, smiling. 'We also get regular orders when someone's in the stocks – we got an order this morning, now I know who it was for…' She looked around at the fruit on the floor, on Merlin's face and in his hair.

She gazed at Merlin, and then slowly brought a hand up to his cheek. Merlin's heart was pounding. She gently touched his cheek, and wiped off some of the fruit.

'It's such a waste,' she said, sighing.

'Yeah,' breathed Merlin. Her face was so close to his, her hand still hovering over his cheek. She could smell her sweet breath, and her eyelashes were _so_ delicate…

'MERLIN!' someone shouted. Merlin craned his neck and found Arthur marching towards him, frown on his face.

'I'll see you around,' said Merlin, to Catherine. Catherine left before Arthur arrived, with a quick smile.

'What _are_ you doing, Merlin?' Arthur demanded.

'I'm in the stocks, because I was late this morning,' said Merlin.

'Thanks, Captain Obvious,' said Arthur sarcastically. 'I mean, what are you doing with that girl again, Merlin! I thought I told you not to show such a lack of duty again.'

'I wasn't,' said Merlin. 'I wasn't late this time – the villagers left, and I was waiting for you to come and release me when Catherine came along, and she was talking to me. We were just passing the time,' said Merlin innocently.

'_Catherine_,' spat Arthur, taking an immediate dislike to the name. 'Is she your _girlfriend_ or something?' Arthur asked, with venom in his voice.

'No,' said Merlin nervously. Arthur was giving him a death stare. 'We're just friends.'

'I should hope so,' said Arthur. He was still glaring at Merlin, and there was silence between the two of them for a few moments.

'Are you going to release me?' Merlin asked finally.

'Fine,' said Arthur, 'since no one is around to chuck fruit at you any more. Then, you'll be coming with me for some sword fighting.'

Merlin groaned.

x.x.x


	4. Chapter 4

I'm finally back! :) I'm so sorry for leaving, life got hectic. I know half of you guys might not be here anymore, but I hope you'll enjoy this chapter :). For those still here, thank you so much for sticking with me! Enjoy!

-Lauren

x.x.x

Merlin was sick of the smell of rotten tomatoes. He had been in the stocks for a long time, and was wondering when Arthur would come along and release him. Merlin was getting a sore back, and the juice of fruits was drying on his face in a disgusting fashion. He was entirely sick of this.

So were the civilians, it seemed, as they got bored, no longer entertained. They walked away and Merlin was left alone.

Alone, that is, until he spotted a head of blonde hair bobbing around. It was Catherine! She was walking by, and as she took a look at the stocks, her eyes widened and she came running over.

'Merlin!' she exclaimed. Merlin sighed. It was typical of his luck that Catherine would see Merlin in such an unflattering predicament. 'What happened?' she asked, getting closer and bending down to Merlin's level. Her face was so close…

'Arthur put me in the stocks for being late,' said Merlin, sighing.

'Oh no!' she said. 'I'm so sorry – it was my fault –'

'It wasn't your fault,' said Merlin, chuckling. 'I just have to make sure that I'm not late again…' Catherine nodded.

'Prince Arthur seems like a tough taskmaster,' said Catherine.

'He is!' Merlin said, finally finding someone who might feel sympathy for his plight. Gwen, Morgana, Gaius – they all loved Arthur. Merlin couldn't complain about Arthur to them without being reprimanded. Catherine, however, seemed eager to listen. 'The other day, he made me train with him the entire day! I was so tired by the end of it,' Merlin said.

'Wow,' said Catherine. 'Isn't Prince Arthur the captain of the royal guard? Isn't he a really good warrior?'

'He is,' said Merlin. 'That's why fighting with him is so tiring!'

'Oh, you poor thing,' said Catherine sympathetically. Merlin laughed.

'Anyway,' he said. 'Tell me about yourself.'

'Me?' Catherine asked. 'Oh, I live with my parents down in the main street. We run the fruit shop, and deliver to the royal palace every day.'

'Wow,' said Merlin. 'I might be able to see you around in the royal palace.'

'Yeah,' said Catherine, smiling. 'We also get regular orders when someone's in the stocks – we got an order this morning, now I know who it was for…' She looked around at the fruit on the floor, on Merlin's face and in his hair.

She gazed at Merlin, and then slowly brought a hand up to his cheek. Merlin's heart was pounding. She gently touched his cheek, and wiped off some of the fruit.

'It's such a waste,' she said, sighing.

'Yeah,' breathed Merlin. Her face was so close to his, her hand still hovering over his cheek. She could smell her sweet breath, and her eyelashes were _so_ delicate…

'MERLIN!' someone shouted. Merlin craned his neck and found Arthur marching towards him, frown on his face.

'I'll see you around,' said Merlin, to Catherine. Catherine left before Arthur arrived, with a quick smile.

'What _are_ you doing, Merlin?' Arthur demanded.

'I'm in the stocks, because I was late this morning,' said Merlin.

'Thanks, Captain Obvious,' said Arthur sarcastically. 'I mean, what are you doing with that girl again, Merlin! I thought I told you not to show such a lack of duty again.'

'I wasn't,' said Merlin. 'I wasn't late this time – the villagers left, and I was waiting for you to come and release me when Catherine came along, and she was talking to me. We were just passing the time,' said Merlin innocently.

'_Catherine_,' spat Arthur, taking an immediate dislike to the name. 'Is she your _girlfriend_ or something?' Arthur asked, with venom in his voice.

'No,' said Merlin nervously. Arthur was giving him a death stare. 'We're just friends.'

'I should hope so,' said Arthur. He was still glaring at Merlin, and there was silence between the two of them for a few moments.

'Are you going to release me?' Merlin asked finally.

'Fine,' said Arthur, 'since no one is around to chuck fruit at you any more. Then, you'll be coming with me for some sword fighting.'

Merlin groaned.

x.x.x

'Catherine!' Merlin hadn't expected to see the blonde beauty this soon, but as luck would have it, Catherine was walking his way, carrying a big basket of fruit in her slender arms. She looked absolutely radiant as she smiled, encapsulated by the sunlight.

'Hi Merlin,' Catherine said enthusiastically. They approached each other, and halted, slightly breathless, staring into each other's eyes.

'How are you?' Merlin asked.

'Good, yourself?' Catherine said.

'Great,' said Merlin, grinning. 'I've got a rare day off tomorrow!'

'Really?' said Catherine. 'That's cool.'

Suddenly, Merlin had an idea. He twiddled his thumbs, rather nervous, but then pressed ahead with a bolt of courage.

'Hey, since I have a day off tomorrow…' his voice faded away, almost chickening out.

'Yes?' said Catherine eagerly, anticipating the end of the sentence.

'Do you want to – to – uh, hang out?' asked Merlin, stumbling over his words. He watched Catherine's face light up as she grinned at him.

'Yeah, sure,' she said. 'I might have to work in the morning, but I'll see you in the afternoon, yeah?'

'Yeah,' said Merlin excitedly. 'What time, and where?' he asked.

'Well,' said Catherine, 'do you want to meet at my shop? It's not far from the royal palace, and as soon as I get off we can go somewhere, around after lunch…' she said.

'That sounds good,' said Merlin, grinning. She smiled back at him, and Merlin felt his palms getting sweaty. Catherine was so pretty – Merlin was definitely looking forward to tomorrow.

'Great,' said Catherine. 'Anyway, I'd better get back to delivering these…' she said lightly.

'Oh, of course,' said Merlin. 'Sorry for holding you up.'

'No, no!' she said, grinning at him. 'I'm glad I met you on the way here – see you tomorrow!'

'See you then!' Merlin said, waving to her as she walked off. He watched her leave – her crimson dress was fluttering in the slight breeze, and she looked like an absolute angel as the sunlight danced in her hair. Merlin was so, _so_ lucky…

'MERLIN!'

Merlin whipped around and found Arthur right behind him, staring him down, hands on hips and frowning. Merlin backed away slowly; Arthur was _not_ in a good mood.

'Yes?' Merlin asked tentatively.

'Were you talking to _Catherine_ again?' Arthur said viciously.

'I just met her – she was just walking –'

Arthur groaned with exasperation. Secretly, he was more than exasperated, but he kept that flame of anger under control, for the moment.

'I need you in my chambers, Merlin,' Arthur said sternly. 'Not _chatting_ to some girl.'

'Sorry, sire,' said Merlin, trying to smile at Arthur. Arthur frowned. There it was, that cute, awkward smile. Arthur, secretly, loved it when Merlin smiled – the boy looked so _cute_ when he smiled, but of course Arthur would never tell Merlin. No, Merlin did not need anyone to feed his ego, now that he had that girl, _Catherine_. Arthur pronounced the word with aggression in his mind.

Arthur couldn't be angry at Merlin any longer, when he smiled. His pursed lips relaxed into a smile and he shook his head at Merlin, wondering what on earth he would do with his manservant.

x.x.x

'What do you need me to do?' Merlin asked. Arthur was sitting at the table in his room, sipping wine and brooding.

'I –' Arthur faltered. Merlin raised an eyebrow quizzically – it was extremely unusual of Arthur to _falter_. Faltering was just not something that Arthur did. 'My father,' said Arthur slowly, 'is throwing a ball tonight for the court. Unfortunately…' Arthur paused.

'Go on,' said Merlin.

'Unfortunately this means that I have to dance. And I don't dance. Not at all.' Arthur's voice was getting dangerously quick. This was obviously a tender topic. 'But, my father has insisted that I open the ball, as the crown prince.'

Merlin giggled, but stopped when he saw the look on Arthur's face.

'So, what do you want me to do?' Merlin asked, clearing his throat.

'I need you to… dance with me.' Arthur spat out the last three words all in one string, tripping over them like a hopeless tongue-tied fool. Merlin was stunned. He had not been expecting that. Um… what could he say?

'Okay,' said Merlin, obligingly. If Arthur needed to dance, Merlin would obviously have to help.

'Okay, so,' Arthur said, shaking off his uncertainty, 'the ball is tonight, so we really need to get going.' Arthur stood up. Merlin wondered how good his dancing was. The last time he danced had been a long time ago, back in one of the village fetes…

Arthur approached Merlin slowly; Merlin felt butterflies being set free in his stomach. _Odd,_ Merlin thought. He could not break the eye contact as Arthur took another step forward. There was something intoxicating in Arthur's eyes.

'Um,' Merlin faltered. Arthur took the final step forward, and held out his arms. Merlin paused.

'Come on, I don't bite,' said Arthur, regaining his confidence. He smiled at Merlin. Merlin tentatively stepped forward.

Arthur placed his hand on Merlin's waist, and Merlin was surprised to find a shiver of excitement run through him. Arthur was warm, and it was nice. Merlin smiled.

'Hand on my shoulder, Merlin,' said Arthur bossily. Merlin raised his left hand and placed it gently on Arthur's shoulder.

'Other hand, Merlin!' said Arthur, grabbing Merlin's wrist and placing his hands properly. 'You've never danced before, have you?' Arthur said.

'Well… I did once, a long time ago…' Merlin said, his voice fading. Arthur sighed.

'This will be fun,' Arthur said sarcastically. Merlin just tried to reassure Arthur with a tentative smile.

Arthur grabbed Merlin's hand, and held it. Merlin thought that the interlocking of their fingers felt very nice. Little did he know Arthur was thinking the same thing. Of course they'd never _ever_ tell each other.

Merlin's touch was so light, he could have been a girl, Arthur noted. Still, it was pleasant. Arthur was strong and manly, and his hands on Merlin felt reassuring.

'Merlin, I don't bite,' said Arthur, sneaking his arm further around Merlin's waist and bringing Merlin in closer. Their faces were only inches apart now. Merlin looked up at Arthur, and Arthur felt that cute smile take hold of him. There was something in Merlin's cheery face that Arthur could never ignore, especially now, when they were so close.

And Arthur's hand on Merlin's waist felt _so good_.

'So what do we do now?' Merlin asked.

'Um… let's try a waltz, shall we?' Arthur asked.

'We have no music,' Merlin pointed out.

'Well…' Arthur said, wracking his brain. There was only one option.

So Arthur broke into song, much to the pain of Merlin's ears. Merlin cringed, trying to block out the horrible sound. Arthur kept singing, oblivious to Merlin's pain and quite obviously, deaf. Arthur swept Merlin up and they started to dance. Merlin was consistently half a beat after Arthur.

'Merlin, you have two left feet!' Arthur exclaimed exasperatedly. 'You're even worse than me!'

'Sorry,' muttered Merlin.

Arthur continued the song and they kept dancing. Arthur led; Merlin was absolutely hopeless, and Arthur stopped being irritated and simply found it funny. Arthur was almost crying with laughter.

'Merlin, you are hilarious!' Arthur exclaimed.

'I'm glad you think so,' said Merlin, laughing as well.

The fit of laughter caused a momentary loss of balance and suddenly Merlin had his arms flailed in the air and collapsed forward onto Arthur. Arthur, a practised swordsman, saw the whole thing in slow motion, and reacted quickly so that Merlin wasn't hurt. Arthur grabbed Merlin tightly, wrapping his strong arms around Merlin's thin frame so that he didn't fall.

Merlin was surprised that he didn't hit the floor, then he felt Arthur catch him in his arms and sighed with relief. Arthur helped Merlin up.

'You are _unbelievable_,' Arthur said, chuckling. Merlin looked up at Arthur like he was his saviour.

'Thanks,' Merlin said. Arthur just nodded.

And then they realised they were still had their arms wrapped around each other, like a couple caught in an intimate embrace. Quickly they disentangled themselves, and shook off the awkwardness by clearing their throats and averting their eyes.

Merlin found that he felt rather lonely without Arthur's touch.

'Let's try that again, shall we?' said Arthur finally, breaking the silence.

'Okay,' agreed Merlin. They got closer and placed their hands on each other accordingly, and Merlin felt much more at home.

Arthur lightened the mood by starting to sing again, but this time he spotted the displeasure on Merlin's face.

'What's wrong, Merlin?' he asked, stopping mid-song.

'Nothing,' Merlin said, smiling at Arthur.

'You don't like my singing?' Arthur asked.

'You sound like…' Merlin didn't know whether to finish the sentence or not.

'Yes?' Arthur encouraged Merlin.

'You sound like a cat being strangled,' Merlin admitted.

'That's no way to talk to a prince,' said Arthur teasingly.

'Just giving my opinion,' said Merlin.

'You sing then,' said Arthur.

'W-What?' Merlin hadn't been expecting that.

'You sing, if you think my singing is so horrible,' said Arthur.

'But –'

'Don't but, Merlin,' said Arthur. Merlin paused, and then started to sing softly. Merlin's voice was gentle and soft, but unlike Arthur, he could actually sing in tune.

'Oh, so we have an aspiring songstress, do we now?' Arthur teased, as they danced, stepping on each others' feet and dancing with odd, jerky movements.

'Shut up,' Merlin muttered. 'You're the one that can't sing.'

After 2 minutes of awkward dancing, they came to a stop. Somehow, Merlin had ended up backed up against the wall, with Arthur's body close and the muscular prince towering over him. Merlin stopped singing and they came to a stop. They paused, caught up in the moment.

Merlin could feel Arthur's breath on his forehead, his heart started to race, and then...

'Merlin you are absolutely useless,' declared the young prince, stepping away from Merlin. Merlin felt a wave of relief and smiled weakly at Arthur.

'You're not much better,' he replied. 'Morgana's not going to have fun being your partner tonight,' Merlin said.

'Oh, but Morgana isn't my partner for tonight,' said Arthur, grinning. Merlin was surprised.

'Who is, then?' Merlin asked.

'You'll find out tonight,' said Arthur, winking at Merlin. 'You're one of the servants registered for waiting on us. Serving drinks and all that. Like last time. And this feathered hat – it was a real winner last time, wasn't it?' said Arthur teasingly, producing the horrendous red hat from one of his drawers.

'No,' said Merlin. 'I absolutely refuse to wear that monstrosity.'

'Sorry,' said Arthur, shrugging his shoulders. 'Prince's orders.'

He fitted the hat snugly on Merlin's head; Merlin scowled.


End file.
